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<title>A Man's Own Worst Enemy by Little1940sToad</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603656">A Man's Own Worst Enemy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little1940sToad/pseuds/Little1940sToad'>Little1940sToad</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:07:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little1940sToad/pseuds/Little1940sToad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This was a school paper that I had to do for English. It is a sequel to a short story called The Most Dangerous Game. I have it linked if you would like to read it. But, this is probably my favorite paper I've ever written. I will warn you, it is written in an extremely weird way so sorry about that, but yeah.</p><p> </p><p>P.S/ I wrote this after watching Patti LuPone in Boston Marriage. That is why it is written like this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Man's Own Worst Enemy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/739059">The Most Dangerous Game</a> by Richard Connell.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been years since Rainsford had been put into the position of the hunted. He stayed on the island, for he did not want his new fear of people to get in the way of his life. He dismantled the lights near the rocks and he had rid the house of any trace that General Zarroff had lived there previously. So, he lived alone in the middle of a forest surrounded by an ocean because he felt that it was enough distance from anyone else. That was until one night a man had come on shore for safety from a storm that had been brewing west of the island. The man was short with raven hair and eyes like chestnuts. As he stopped on the shore, he screamed “  I will never be rescued, I bet there wouldn’t even be someone out here to kill me.”<br/>
After Rainsford heard the man from his balcony, his trauma from the past and delusions from loneliness suddenly got the better of him. His mind immediately told him that he should be afraid because this man was General Zarroff, when in reality it was not, but what Rainsford saw was a tall and slender man with white hair and a sharp face that was mocking him. Rainsford’s rage over and fear of General Zarroff led him to immediately grab his pistol that he had in his wardrobe for the sole purpose that there was a possibility that the General would one day come back, and that day had come. He aimed his pistol. Then, shot at the poor man, but had missed by a hair, and had shot right next to the man’s feet. The silhouette immediately started running, much to Rainsford’s own demise.<br/>
That night Rainsford was looking for his new prey. After about thirty minutes of hunting, he heard a rustle in the fallen leaves and shouted “My name is Rainsford Elliot, and on behalf of the safety of sailors, I demand that you come out of hiding this very moment. I will not let more innocent people die for your enjoyment.” The next moment Rainsford heard the sound of weeping and he saw a shadow come out from the bushes with its hands to the sides of its head. The first thing that Rainsford thought when he saw Zaroff come into the light was that he looked different, but he didn’t give it a second thought as he pointed his pistol at the man’s chest. The sound of crying filled the air around them and he heard the man say “Why are you doing this?” Rainsford said “ Because you ruined my life. Thanks to you, my mind has created a clock within me that's ticking is slowly driving me mad. My thoughts poisoned my life and now loneliness and desperation are all that I know.” Rainsford thought to himself the idea that chaos is the only friend that he has and he has unknowingly decided to cherish its presence, as tears started to pool in his eyes. He then thought of how much he connected with Trouble in Mind Blues and how much he agreed with Thelma La Vizzo. The man finally spoke up and said “I am not who you think I am. My name is Robert Simmons, I am a sailor on the way to my uncle's home in North America. I have not intended to hurt you in any way by coming to this island, but I will leave if I have brought fear upon you. I am a selfless man and hope to not make you unhappy.”<br/>
Rainsford brought himself back to reality, he focused his eyes to see what was truly in front of him which was a frightened young man with his hands by his sides pleading for the mercy that he had no right to give. The next moment Rainsford lowered his pistol so that it could watch the ground and looked at Robert again thinking to himself  “Lord, forgive me, for I have condemned this man to fear for his life in this very moment over something that my mind had made up to strike horror into my own heart.” Then Rainsford said to the man “I beg your pardon, for it seems that I must speak under correction. Young man I am truly sorry for holding you any longer for my own desires, but what year is it and why are you on your way to the Americas to see your uncle?” Robert said in a shocked manner “It is 1944 sir, and I am fleeing from my home in France because the Second World War is occuring. At this moment I chose to be willfully ignorant for I have no desire to learn what will happen next in Europe.” Rainsford was suddenly broken apart by the news that he heard, but yet slightly relieved.<br/>
In the next moment Rainsford shouted “ Leave! Now for I have no use for you unless it is to kill you.” Rainsford noticed that Robert seemed to have a dazed look on his face. So, he pulled the trigger of the pistol as it was still pointing at the ground, and he shouted “I have given you a warning shot. Now leave, unless you have longing for death to make an early visit to you!” As the young man heard this, he took off running and his legs were the wings of a hummingbird.<br/>
Rainsford kept his place on the ground, and he said to himself “Is this really what I have become? A man so willing to kill over his own fear. I hear word of a war, but feel relief wash over me as I have no desire to help others.... I have become my own worst enemy. Of course, General Zarroff is one of the worst men who could have lived, but he is not the one I speak of. I speak of my own mind. It has led me to believe that the men who walk this Earth are worthless for all they do is cause fear when in actuality they are the good in the world. I had no right to show that man mercy because I had no right to hold him to the pleading which had ensued within my own reach. Yet even so, my mind has kept me within the confines of despair and true worthlessness for a fear that has no legitimacy because it was in the past. I do not wish to partake in a war for I already participate and speak of a war with one’s self. I have wasted twenty years of my life with not much left too it over the inevitable truth of fear, and now I shall wither away on this island with no one to share anything with. I have left myself truly alone.”<br/>
As Rainsford had this realization, he saw that the man had not yet left the island. He felt no need to be alone during his final moments of life. So, he took the pistol, cocked it and pointed it to his temple. He said “ Goodbye beautiful world, I am apologetic that I was not able to experience the joy that you bring.” With that said, the deafening sound of a gunshot was heard by the last person to see Rainsford while he was alive and while he was dead for he was left on that island truly alone.</p>
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